Orlebar Brown and Gieves & Hawkes launch capsule collection

Savile Row houses are typically very proud of the fact that all of their garments are designed and produced under one roof. Gieves & Hawkes are one such brand, and their basement cutting rooms have been nurturing new-born suits for the best part of a century. This also means that collaborations are few and far between, but being that they are one of the more forward-thinking tailors on The Row, Gieves have broken the mould. The partnership in question is with Orlebar Brown, the masters of smart, sophisticated beach wear.

Whilst they may not be housed on Savile Row (they are a stones throw away, on Sackville Street), Orlebar Brown turned to tailoring as inspiration for their original swim short. Using the same 17-piece pattern used to design men’s suit trousers, OB created the ‘Bulldog’ short back in 2007, offering gentlemen the chance to look as stylish on the beach as they did off it. Founder Adam Brown was particularly forward-thinking at the time and as such, his baby cornered the market. His ability to look ahead, just like Gieves & Hawkes do, is fitting then, as the new collaboration between the two is inspired by legendary explorer David Livingstone, who lived by the motto ‘I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward’.

Incorporating pattern and print is a signature of OB, and here they’ve utilised Livingston’s hand-drawn maps on some of the garments, the likes of which would have served him well on his travels in the late 19th century. Indeed, he was one of the pre-eminent explorers of that period, becoming somewhat of an iconic figure for his anti-slavery campaigning and missionary work.

There’s a link with Gieves too, as upon his death he was returned to London and laid to rest at No. 1 Savile Row, which was at the time home to the Royal Geographic Society before Gieves took over in 1912.

Alongside the map prints, themes of travel and exploration are infused throughout the collection. A matching safari print is utilised on a t-shirt, short and bucket hat combination and elsewhere a multi-pocket utility vest, cargo trousers and shorts, a safari jacket and desert boots round out a versatile selection of functional, and above all, stylish clothes.

The entire capsule collection will be available at both Orlebar Brown and Gieves & Hawkes from March 2016.